Order of the Heart
by Warhawk07
Summary: After so long, she finally began to realize what she truly wanted: to be his
1. Waking Up to the Heart's Wishes

**So, I wanna start by saying thanks to** **Deviljho's Hatred for inspiring me into writing this :) I helped with Just Following Orders, yet you truly were what created this little story :P This is actual the start of a massive fic in the works, so I hope you all enjoy this while the next chapter is made up.  
Also, credit to KappeZ for letting me use Zaeon. Hope I got her right. Been so long since we last used her ^_^"  
I do not own Disgaea, except for any OCs of mine that I have not given credit to other owners  
**

Morning arrived in the Netherworld, which wasn't quite all that different from a morning in the Human World or Celestia, save instead of a bright sun rising above the horizon, every day began with a loud explosion of at least a dozen Prinnies being tossed off the top floor of the Overlord's castle. Or maybe that was just how they began in the Overlord's Castle, because there was a sun that rose and all that. Etna must REALLY have had a fetish for abusing Prinnies, or maybe she just enjoyed the screams of Prinnies as they fell and right before they exploded in a cloud of fire and smoke.

Barbara walked through the halls, on her way to the Overlord's room, ignoring the screams of a Prinny that fell right past an open window. The thought crossed the Armor Knight's mind that maybe someone should close the window, but she could only do so if someone ordered her to do so. It was a flaw even she herself knew of, yet even after 600 years, she had barely made an headway in breaking that flaw. It wasn't that she didn't want to change; it simply was she had yet to think of anything that she truly wanted to do without being ordered to do. She remembered hearing a few of the vassals once talking about that fact, one of them wondering what use she was if all she could do was follow orders. Although not ordered so, she knew she had been hurt and upset by that, yet she didn't shed a tear over it.

Entering the Throne Room, she noticed a young, brunette woman standing nearby, clad in a plain, white dress that flowed down to her ankles. A pair of pure white angel wings popped up from her back, the feathers seeming to glitter in the light provided by the lava in the room. She turned around as Barbara entered, her face seeming to light up. "Barbara, hey," she said, smiling as she walked up, hugging the Knight. "How have you been?"

"Sicily, I've been well. How about you?" One of her earliest orders had been that if anyone had asked her how she was, then she was to do the same. Flonne had asked her to do that after she had returned once from Celestia. Hugging as well, as she returned the gesture.

"Oh, I've been doing well. They're finally thinking about allowing me back into Celestia." The young angel smiled, rubbing her neck. "Although, truth be told, I kinda like being here rather than in Celestia. At least here, I'm accepted for who I am and not alone, you know?"

Barbara nodded, thinking back to the words she had heard. Accepted... Was she herself truly accepted here? Would she ever truly be accepted? She had thought about it many a night, as she could only act physically by order. Mentally, she was like anyone else, yet even then, she could never find that one thing she wanted to do herself. "Well, you have Master Laharl as your brother, so few would ever _not_ accept you."

Sicily giggled. "Well, I'm just glad Big Brother has finally been accepted as Overlord. Plus, even the old vassals accept that I'm Daddy's little girl." It was no big secret now that Sicily was the only daughter of the former Overlord, but few truly knew about her origins: that she had been "born" after her mother sacrificed her own life to save her son and Sicily's brother, her mother granting her Angel status to an unborn Sicily so that she could grow up free of her mother's sins. Centuries of being called the Demon Angel had taken its toll on the young Overlord's Daughter, yet it seemed the first few years in the Netherworld seemed to repair much of that damage.

Barbara suddenly remembered why it was she had been walking this way. "I'm sorry, Sicily, but I have to go. I have to make sure Master Laharl is awake for breakfast. He had ordered me to do so a few months ago, and I don't think he would be pleased if I failed him."

Sicily nodded, smiling slightly. "I knew he had a habit of sleeping in, but to have you wake him up is rather interesting." Without another word, the angel left, leaving the young Knight behind with questions. What did she mean by that? No one else seemed to want to do the task and Barbara herself could never refuse an order unless ordered to do so. So why would that be interesting? Too many thoughts flew through her mind, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. She had a task to do and she was already a little late. She hurried herself to the Overlord's room, pausing before the door and knocking. When she got no response, she opened the door, walking in slowly.

The room had changed over the years. Where once lay a small coffin now stood a rather large bed, fitted with black covers. Although the light was dim in the room, illuminated by only a few torches, she could see there was no one lying in the bed. "Master Laharl?" she called out, gingerly walking farther in. This was the first time the Overlord was not in bed when she came to wake him, and it actually worried her a little, although her face betrayed no sign of it. "Master Laharl, are you in here?" Still no response, which began to worry her even more. What if some assassin had snuck in and got to her master? Was he dead? Alive? Questions and theories began to form, each worse than the last, and they were making her feel uneasy. If someone had gotten to the Overlord, then that would mean she had failed in her orders to protect him.

The sound of a blade being drawn brought her back to reality. Was the assassin still in the room? Without even thinking, the order to defend herself coming to mind by itself, she summoned her spear, bringing herself around and raising it up in time to block an attack, the assassin's blade bouncing slightly off her spear. Pushing forth, she did her best to knock the unseen assailant off balance long enough for her to bring her spear up, slashing and stabbing at the shadowy figure, yet every time, she didn't feel anything connect. Was this an illusion, meant to distract her while the assassin escaped?

She was too caught up in her thoughts for just a split second too long, as was evident by the assailant suddenly kicking out, hooking her leg and tripping her, the tip of the blade coming to bear at her throat. "Too slow," a voice said from before her. She had lost... Was this the end? Death for a failure?

"I thought I had told you to keep training and preparing for moments like this?" the voice asked, blade removing from her throat. The lights came to life more, revealing the room and the assailant standing over her: a young man, easily a few inches taller than herself, a pair of antennae emerging up from his light blue hair. His chest was visible, an opened vest covering what little wasn't visible, paired up with a pair of jeans. "You reacted fine in the beginning, but you faltered near the end. What happened?"

"I... well... I was... worried someone had gotten to you, Master Laharl. You weren't in your bed, so I... I..."

Laharl chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No one can dare try to harm me. Any who do would suffer my wrath." A smug smirk formed on his face as he said this. He didn't seem to react to what Barbara had said fully. "But something made you falter for a second. I can not allow a vassal tasked with protecting me from harm to falter like that. After breakfast, I want you to accompany me on a training exercise. Do I make myself clear, Barbara?"

Barbara nodded. "Orders understand, Master Laharl."

"Good, now come. I'm getting hungry. Hopefully Zaeon made up enough for me." A small cackle came from his lips as he said that, slightly lighthearted in nature. He had grown much over the years, both in height and maturity. The sound of her own stomach growling made her blush slightly as she followed Laharl out to the dining room.

* * *

"So, as the Dragons came down from the cliff, all I could think was about how foolish they were to dare challenge me, the mighty Ayesha!" The God Buster laughed as she told her tale for what seemed like the nth time, this time different than last time. Everyone else at the table sighed, shaking their heads. Ayesha was just like Laharl was when he was younger, except much worse, if that was even possible. Much of the food that had been set out was gone, some of the bones themselves even being devoured, a testament to the cooking skills of one of the castle's head caretakers.

"So, while Ayesha goes into her own little world once again, does anyone else have anything to talk about?" Sicily asked, sighing as the crimson-haired God Buster kept going on about her story, adding more and more flare to it as she went.

A Skull dressed in white raised his hand. "Well, I ran into another one of those weird islands in the Item World. You know, the ones that hold a lot of flowers. This one even had Yuie Flowers."

"Yumi, are you sure they weren't just white flowers?" a Cleric asked, pushing aside some of her reddish-orange hair that had fallen into her face.

"Maybe, I don't know. All I know is there was an Alraune there that was kinda pissed off at me for stepping foot onto the island." Yumi rubbed his head, sweatdropping. "Besides, you've seen those islands, Raven. Anything is possible with them."

Barbara listened as the vassals continued with their talk, poking at the remains of her breakfast. She couldn't get over what had happened earlier. If she had faltered like that in a real battle and gotten Laharl hurt or worse... The mere thought of it made her feel weird, like as though her heart was close to breaking.

"Barbara, are you okay?" Zaeon, an Archer-Healer that had served in the castle since before Laharl had even been born, asked, her voice quiet and full of slight concern. If anyone was even close to being more angel than demon, it was her.  
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Zaeon frowned slightly, her half-closed eyes looking at her like she was asking a silly question. "You've got that look, like something is bothering you. Does it have to do with Lord Laharl?"

Barbara was taken aback slightly. How did she...? Had she merely guessed or...? "W-well... I had failed to protect him..."

The Archer gave her a puzzled look, glancing over at the Overlord as he spoke to a platinum-silver haired angel who looked slightly out of place amongst the demons. "But he looks fine. So... Oh, he tested you again, didn't he?"

"Yes, and this time I failed. I faltered slightly and..." She shook her head. "He has ordered me to join him on a training mission soon, so that I can train that falter out of me."

Zaeon looked at her, partly curious and partly looking like she understood fully why the Order-Taking Demon had been ordered to train. "Well, if he's asked you to train _with_ him, then it must mean he has something else in mind."

"What do you mean?" Something else in mind? What was she implying? Master Laharl simply wanted to train her personally, that was all... wasn't it?

"Oh, never you mind, dear. Just muttering out loud." Giving a serene smile, Zaeon stopped the discussion, standing up and gathering up all the empty plates as a group of Prinnies arrived and began wiping down the table. Barbara watched her leave, thinking about what she had said. Why did everyone seem to act lately as though there was something going on between her and Master Laharl?

As though summoned by her thoughts, Laharl placed a hand on her shoulder. "Barbara, time to go. I want you to gather up your training gear and meet me by the dimensional gate, okay?"

Barbara nodded, feeling her stomach act weird and her face heat up. "O-of course, Master Laharl."

* * *

As both Laharl and Barbara left, the remaining vassals broke out into gossip.

"So, what do you think is up with those two, eh?" Yumi asked.

The silver-haired angel looked at their disappearing forms. "Well, Barbara's been acting weird around him lately or even at the mere mention of him. Maybe she has feelings for him?"

"Nathaniel, you've got your head up your ass again," Ayesha muttered, a sour look on her face. "Like that idiot demon could even possibly form feelings by herself. It's been how long and she _still_ has yet to do anything without being ordered so? She'll never do it."

Raven smiled faintly. "I wouldn't be so sure... We all know of Laharl's dislike of busty women. So why would he be spending so much time with a busty woman such as her?"

"What are you getting at?" a whitish-blue haired Armor Knight asked, slightly curious by what the Saint had said.

"Well, my dear Lilianna, I'm saying... I think our dear Overlord has gotten over his little fear, at least with her, and dear Barbara may be close..." Raven smiled slyly, giggling softly. "I think her heart may have already decided what she wants most, even if she doesn't realize it herself."

Sicily, who had been listening to all the vassals, piped up. "I don't think we should assume anything just yet. Maybe Big Brother sees her as an exception to his fear?"

Another giggle escaped Raven's lips as she leaned back in her chair. "We shall soon see, milady... We shall soon see..."

**Well, there it is. Chapter 1 :P I'm open to reviews and such ^_^  
Also, to help better picture the vassals, here's a color scheme of them**

Yumi (Skull Extra 3)

**Ayesha (Star Killer, tier 5 Fight Mistress)**

**Raven (Saint, tier 6 Healer)**

**Nathaniel (Angel Lord, tier 6 Male Angel)**

**Lilianna (Adamant Knight, tier 5 Armor Knight)**

**In the next chapter, I'll be bringing in Etna, Flonne, and a few more of my Vassals, including a unique OC I created from the original Disgaea. Thanks for reading this fic ^_^ And merry christmas, happy Hanukkah, and happy whatever holiday you celebrate ^_^  
**


	2. Love is in the Air and in the Heart

**I forgot to mention this before: I do not own Disgaea, and Zaeon is a character created and owned by KappeZ. I'm sorry if she's OOC, but I'll take the time to reread our story and take notes on her more for if and when I make my next fic involving ALL my Disgaea characters.**

And sorry if this seems weird. Had a brainfart/writer's block. Enjoy ^_^

Steel clashed on steel, echoing throughout the castle halls, yet no one questioned it. Everyone knew it was that time of day where Kaili and Magnus went at it in the Dojo, and every day, the intense battle ended in a draw, which didn't help the bet Lizzie had created on their fights. It was a miracle people still weighed in on them, expecting the fights to come to a conclusion and clear winner. It was almost humorous, especially given how neither vassal knew of the bet, Kaili because the Rune Knight was too hot blooded to give a care about anything other than battle, and Magnus because the Fighter actually didn't care about Lizzie's silly bets, which meant he either knew of it and didn't care or didn't care enough to bother acknowledging such a bet existed.

With Laharl away from the castle on his training with Barbara, it was up to Etna to see to the daily work around the castle, which was something she _really_ did not find enjoyable. The red-haired demoness had been about to make the Prinnies go to the Sea of Gehenna and get her some more pudding, but that was now on hold, as they were now doing all the chores Etna herself was supposed to do in Laharl's steed. Time could not change her attitude, even as it changed her looks: her hair was tied up into a large ponytail, a black ribbon holding it all in place, her tight, leather top and booty shorts now long since replaced by a flowing black dress, complete with black evening gloves and leggings. Most surprisingly about her now was the fact her chest had grown in size a few cups, now not quite busty but also not quite flat (this had only caused her to call herself a sexy beauty queen with more vigor), and with it had come a surprising number of male vassals developing crushes on her. It amused her, finally having men rushing over each other to try and suit her. None had yet to claim her heart (at least, so it seemed, although vassals like Lizzie suspected she was seeing someone in secret).

As she walked through the halls, in search of yet another Prinny to drop her work onto, she found Sicily talking to one of the vassals. Keith, if she remembered right. He was a strange one, not quite a Gunner but more of a Strider, a demon class she hadn't seen in centuries. He wore clothes more like a Strider, complete with a small backpack, had the marksmanship of a Gunner, yet had an air around him like an Angel. No one, not even Keith himself, knew how or why that was.

"Oh, Etna," Sicily said as she noticed the demoness. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, have you seen any of the Prinnies?" Etna asked. "I can't find any of them that's not already working."

"Maybe because they're all busy with _your_ work?" Keith suggested, his voice quiet. To think he was the older brother of that idiot Rogue... Which reminded Etna, she had been meaning to drop by Priere's castle and smack that idiot of a ex-vassal of hers. How Priere had allowed him to work for her was beyond her, especially when he kept dropping by and pissing her off.

"Etna, have you been dumping your workload on them again!?" Sicily gasped, giving her an accusing glare. She had a near obsession towards the Prinnies, always worrying about them and treating them nicely. "You know they're busy enough with their chores as is. You can't just keep forcing them to do your work."

"Well, it just helps them atone their sins faster. Ever think of it that way?" Etna countered.

Sicily sighed, knowing it was pointless to go on with the argument. "Well, I don't think any of the Prinnies are free at the moment. But why don't you try doing the work yourself?"

Etna looked at her as though she had asked a stupid question. "You think I'd _want_ to do the Prince's work? He's off somewhere with Barbara when he knew he had a crapload of work to do today."

"Aw... Laharl's not here?"

Everyone turned to see a young angel standing nearby, a frown on her face. Her long blond hair fell all the way to her ankles, a simple blue bow in her hair. A simple, yet elegant white dress covered her, laced with blue trim, while a pair of bright, pure white wings rested on her back. Sicily's face brightened up as she realized who it was. "Flonne! Hey, what are you doing here? You didn't call ahead."

"Yes I did," the newly appointed Archangel said, slightly confused. "I told Laharl I was dropping by today."

"Um, Flonne... when did you tell him this?" Etna asked, somehow feeling she knew the answer.

"Why, I told him last week, during one of his training sessions."

Even Keith had to shake his head. "Um... well, Lord Laharl isn't here, milady. He's out with Barbara on a training session."

"Is that so?" Flonne seemed both visibly disappointed and happy. Only she could pull that off when it involved Laharl, Etna guessed. "So, have they progressed yet?"

"Progressed?" Sicily asked, confused.

"She means... love wise," Etna explained, almost choking on the word "love". "And no, they have not. What would even make you-?"

"Lady Flonne!" Raven suddenly ran into the room, seeming to somehow be alerted to Flonne's presence. "Oh, what are you doing here? Did you hear the news!?"

Flonne smiled. "Laharl took Barbara out to go train. Yes, I heard. So, has he opened his heart to love?"

"I don't know yet, but it would appear so." The Saint almost seemed to be in glee over it all, which kind of scared Etna. She wasn't as scary as that one Cleric that served Valvatorez (no one was that scary, not even Flonne when she was completely pissed off). "But what about Rose and Fenrich? Have you heard anything about them?"

"Oh, yeah, Artina told me a few days ago that it seems Fenrich has finally opened his heart to her."

"What about-?"

"Girls, girls," Etna interrupted, rubbing her temple over the talk of love. "Can we talk about that some other time, preferably when I'm not here?"

Flonne nodded. "Sorry, Etna, I forgot about you."

"So~~" Raven asked, smirking slyly. "How's it been with your secret lover~?"

"W-w-what are you talking about?" Etna asked, blushing slightly. "I don't have a secret lover!"

"So your love is public?"

Suddenly, all that work seemed better than this. _MUCH _better.

* * *

After what had to feel like a couple dozen floors of sailing through the Item World or so, luck seemed to have be in a pleasant mode as Barbara and Laharl found themselves on a small bonus island. The Knight stepped off the boat, stretching her body in relief at the break from all the fighting. The island seemed almost barren, save for a small patch of grass in the center. It seemed like one of the strange islands Yumi had been talking about, except there weren't any flowers.

"This looks like a good place to set up camp," Laharl said, walking over to the patch of grass and resting his pack down. Everyone knew to come more than prepared when making a trip into the Item World, and Laharl was one who went above and beyond. Where as before, he would have had one of the vassals do such a task, he now was the one who gathered up supplies and carried them, something Barbara found to be both strange and kindhearted. "So, what do you want: Mushroom Soup, an Eclair, or a Sundae?"

"Sundae, please." Barbara joined the Overlord, dropping her pack down and resting on the grass, laying her axe beside her. It wasn't exactly the weapon she used every day in battle, but it was her training weapon, one she had upgraded herself with the help of a few of the vassals, as per Laharl's orders. Every one of the vassals had their own training gear, which they had leveled up themselves, something Flonne had suggested as a way for them to feel more in-tune with their gear (everyone placed it under her Love Freak crap, but it did actually work somehow. Barbara herself felt more inclined to use her Axe than any Axe bought from the stores or looted in battle), something in which Laharl thought would work well, as it allowed them all to grow a bit stronger before diving head-first into heavy training.

Laharl produced two Sundaes, handing one to Barbara as he sat beside her, opening up his Sundae and beginning to eat it. "I guess we should have gone into a harder Item, don't you think?" he asked suddenly, a slight laugh in his voice. "Either that, or you've grown much stronger than I thought."

That heated up her face. She _had_ noticed the enemies seemed to be much weaker than normal for a training session, which was strange. Had Laharl done this on purpose? Could it be...? No, no, there was no way _THAT_ was the reason. It just couldn't have been. "Well, thank you, Master."

Laharl chuckled softly as he consumed his sundae. It was strange, but he seemed even more... NO! She was _not _going to think that. "I'm beginning to think that maybe you don't need training anymore, Barbara. I bet you could beat even me in battle."

"I would never do so, Master, unless you're ordering me to do so. Are you?"

Laharl broke out in laughter. "No, no, I'm not ordering you to defeat me. I'm just saying."

"I understand." Somehow, that made her feel... sad. Sad that she couldn't defeat him? Or sad because...?

"Anyways," Laharl said, disposing of his now empty Sundae. "I think we should head on back to the castle. I still have a lot of work to get done and I get the feeling Etna's pushed aside what work I gave her onto the Prinnies again." The Overlord shook his head, sighing at the thought. "Finish up your Sundae first, though, okay?"

Barbara nodded as she continued at her Sundae. Maybe when they returned to the castle, she would talk to Flonne or Raven about what was plaguing her thoughts.

* * *

"... So, that's what happened. It was a draw, again."

Raven nodded as she hung up the laundry on the clothesline, listening to the silver haired Fighter beside her. "So, you still can't beat Kaili? I thought you had the edge on sheer power, Mag."

Magnus sighed, shaking his head. "I thought so too, until she decided to cheat _again_ and use her spells against me. She can't seem to stick to swords or magic alone; she just _has_ to fuse them up. I swear, if she wasn't... wasn't..."

"Wasn't your girlfriend?" Raven finished for him, smirking. It wasn't much of a secret that Magnus and Kaili were romantically involved, especially since Raven had walked in on them once. Kaili was _still_ embarrassed by that, yet Raven had simply laughed it off. "So, who gets the victory "reward" today?"

Magnus gave the Saint a look that said "are you fucking serious?". "Why can't you mind your own business, Rav? Why don't you go pester Lili or Etna?"

"Well, I already got my fill of trying to get Etna to admit she's seeing someone, and Lili's... well, it's not all that fun, really."

"Bullshit. You _always_ find stuff like that fun." Magnus laughed, smirking at the Saint. "So, any news on Lili and Cyril?"

Raven finished up the laundry and nodded. "Last I heard, Lizzie saw them leaving together somewhere. Somewhere into town. But other than that, I don't know if she's broken through her shell and admitted her feelings to him."

Magnus nodded. Everyone knew the calm and collected Armor Knight had a thing for the Evil Academy Heretic. It was only last century that Mao had allowed the Heretic to leave the Academy and come work for Laharl. "What about Artina and Val?"

"No news there, but Fenrich seems to now be dating Rose."

"That Yandere cleric? You mean mister "Love is for the weak and useless", tsundere Werewolf is finally _dating_ that psychotic Cleric?" Whatever restraint Magnus had was now broken as he almost fell over in laughter. "Are you sure it's true?"

"Well, Lady Flonne only told me that he seems to have finally opened his heart to her, so I'm just guessing they're dating now."

"Who's dating who now?" Zaeon walked up to the pair, a basket of clothes under her arm.

"Oh, we're talking about how it seems Fenrich is dating Rose," Magnus explained, wiping tears from his eyes. "I can't believe it myself."

"That's great," the Archer-Healer said, a small smile on her face. "It's about time he opened his heart."

"While we're on the topic of love and emotions," Raven said, a sly smirk forming on her face, "why don't we talk about you and Keith~~?"

Zaeon's face lit up slightly with a blush. "W-what do you mean?"

"Oh, don't be coy, Zaeon. I can tell you have feelings for him."

"W-what? I-I... um... well..."

Raven giggled. "Oh, sweetie, you need to confess to him about your feelings. He's not going to wait forever~"

Magnus sighed, shaking his head. This was Raven in her moment, that was for sure. She caught even a trace or hint that there was love between two people and she'd hunt it down and harass it with all her might. "Raven, will you stop doing that for once in your life? It's annoying and rude."

"Oh, hush now~ I'm just trying to help out."

"Well, I don't think-" Magnus glanced over at Zaeon, only to realize she was gone. "... You scared her off."

Raven sighed, rubbing her temples. "Well, is it my fault I just want her to be happy and all. You know her and Keith like each other."

"I know, but you really should let them confess by themselves."

Raven waved him off, walking away. "Well, at this rate, they'll be dead before they confess anything." With that, she was gone, leaving Magnus standing there, shaking his head at her sheer tenacity and stubbornness. At least she wasn't making bets on Keith and Zaeon, unlike what she had done in regards to a certain Overlord and his most loyal Servant.

That _still_ made him question her sanity most days.


End file.
